All Voices But Her Own
by r0m4ncef4n4t1c
Summary: With her mother's voice in her head and in real life Princess Marie struggles to do things for herself. So when she gets taken away from her home by man who claims her family is evil, she knows she should be outraged. So why does she feel free?
1. Will

**I had to add some things and revise it a bit. There are probably still a few errors... but don't get mad at me :(**

Satan was racing along the garden pathways as fast as he was able. Marie held on tightly to the reins and dismissed the fact that she wore no gloves. It did not bother her in the slightest that her hands might not be as soft as her mother wished. Maybe so many fools would stop kissing it! She smiled at that and raised her face to the sun.

It was summer. Flowers bloomed extravagantly and the warmth of it was exquisite. She felt as if she was a dusty old carpet needing a little air. Of course she was out all the time. The company just wasn't always the best. As it was, that was exactly what was happening right now. Her mother had wished her to have a quiet ride in the garden with Will Cautear. They were supposed to have spoken of the weather, his extravagant horse (which even she had to admit was beautiful), and the only other thing a man such as he spoke of. Himself!

Now had he not expected her to pay attention in the slightest, nor could reply, maybe Marie have pretended she was somewhere else. Anywhere but there as a matter of fact. Instead of allowing her to daydream, as any sane man would have, he had calmly told her that she needed to be attentive towards him as how was he to expect her to make a decent wife?

That had been the end of what could have been a perfectly boring evening. She had promptly told him she wished him away in a ditch and galloped away. Now the wind was in her hair, the sun lighting her evening, and she had rid herself of Will. At least temporarily. Her mother absolutely loved him.

_Stupid man! To even think she would consider spending the rest of her days with him. _He sounded just like her mother and that was certainly unacceptable. If she wished to hear marriage nonsense she would pay attention to her mother, father, maid, or anyone else in the Eidoli kingdom besides her and her brother.

She sighed. The point was that she heard it all day and night. It'd be nice for her to catch a break. She let Satan control which way they went now. He was a competent horse and had never led her astray. Of course he was rarely ridden because of his size. It was not becoming for a girl to ride such a strong-willed horse.

And Satan was more than strong-willed. He was opinionated. If he did not like you, you would know. That was why Marie and him got along. She was the only one he allowed to ride him. She liked to think that it was because of their differences. She, quiet and well-mannered while Satan was loud and… not exactly well-anything. He brought out the side of her that was supposed to stay inside. Around Satan she felt different, not different than anyone else. Just herself.

Marie slowed Satan down and attempted to admire the flowers. There was not a wilting flower in sight. No sign that any flower was being neglected. Marie rolled her eyes. Why look for a dead flower? Her eyes still wandered looking for one.

She didn't fully understand her need to find an imperfection. Maybe it was because she wished for some semblance that her parents did not control everything. But if they didn't, then why was nothing out of place? She felt herself suffocating as she realized that she was terribly out of place.

The wind had already torn her hair out of its style. It was flying about everywhere and if she did not stop riding, her hands would show signs of not wearing gloves. The dress she wore had hidden stitches that made it just like a pair of pants when it looked like any other dress. If Will had looked closely as she stormed off, he would have noticed. And God, what would she do if her mother found out about her insulting him?

Maybe Will was right. She should have at least attempted to listen. Satan stopped abruptly and before Marie could do anything she noticed Will flying off of his horse towards her. The last thing she thought of as she dug her heels into Satan's side to move out of Will's way, was that she felt sorry for his horse. It was a pity that such a nice horse didn't have a better and more capable owner. For some reason Satan didn't move and started whinnying at a seemingly innocent bush which resulted with Will hitting her off of the horse.

The impact against her back as she crashed down made her cry out but it was her head banging against the solid ground that made her eyes well up with tears. Will lay on top of her like an idiot and she couldn't speak for fear of actually crying. As many times as she had fallen off of a horse, it had never been that hard. It took her a moment to realize his face was planted on her chest.

She could hear his muffled moans of pain and tried to calm herself before she screamed at him. When she glanced over at Satan, he was still looking at the bush with such a mean stare that she personally would have run away if she were the bush. Marie was starting to understand why some people steered clear of him.

Then Satan suddenly stopped and walked over to me. He snorted and hit Will's body with his nose, barely nudging him. "Push him Satan!" Satan backed up and pushed him off. Immediately she felt the relief of his weight gone but pain shot through her back at the movement.

Satan whinnied and nudged her too. In pain, she managed to whisper, "No." Satan stopped and backed up a bit. Marie started moving different body parts slowly and she took a deep breath as she attempted to push herself up. "Mmm…" Everything seemed to hurt but at least it worked. She could probably still dance at the ball tomorrow night.

She turned her head carefully and knew that she would probably have a headache for a long time.

_In fact, if it wasn't for that hedge behind me, I believe I would have passed out. That idiot! How did he lose control of his horse? _Glancing at Will's still face she wondered if she could leave him there to fend for his self while she went inside and asked Kay to fix her.

_But then I would have to explain why I am hurt and my mother would ask where he was and… well there goes that plan. _

She reached over and shook him, gently of course, even though she wanted to shake him until he woke up. "Will!" _Crap! My voice sounds annoyed. How would my mother wish me to sound? Worried? "Will, please get up!" _Now her voice was slightly smoother. Starting to get upset she shook him a little bit more.

When his eyes fluttered open she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could go back inside to the palace! Sadly Will seemed to wish to just stare up at her in a besotted manner. Or at least that's what she thought the look was. "Marie…" He murmured her name and lifted his hand to caress her face.

She tried to keep the look of disgust off of her face and keep still but when he said, "Kiss me," she couldn't stop herself from knocking his hand off of her and saying, "I do not believe I have given you the right to call me by my first name. She stood up carefully and wondered at his stupidity.

Why her mother even wanted her to be associated with the man was beyond her. _If she even thinks he is in the running for my hand in marriage, she is sadly mistaken. _At the thought of her mother she turned back around and noticed he had sat up and was wiping his coat off. Not that there was actually any dirt on it.

She cleared her throat. "Um… I'm sorry for being so inattentive and," _Why was this so hard? Her mother made it look easy! _"Rude." He looked up at her and the look of hatred on his face made her wish to step back but before she commented on it, his face returned to a loving look and he smiled.

"Of course. I'm sure your mother hasn't taught you the appropriate manners when in the company of another." His words made her want to insult him and tell him to once again fall in a ditch but her mother's stupid voice came to mind.

"Any insult to you my dear is well-deserved. You just don't know how to control what you say. I fear I've let you run free and now you do not want to calm down and become the princess you are supposed to be."

Once that voice ran over any sense of herself that was still there she retreated and nodded solemnly at Will. "You are right of course. I will work on it before you return again. Maybe I will be better company then. Until then, I believe I shall go take a bath. That was a very hard fall."

He stood up and groaned as he put his hand on his back. "I know what you mean. My back is killing me." Marie's ire rose and before she said anything stupid she reached for Satan's reins. His back hurt? "I will pray that you recover quickly." Walking off she still wondered at why he had been thrown off of his horse but it was too late to ask.

It took her awhile to get through the maze of flowers and to get Satan to the stable boy but instead of thinking of the pain; all Marie could think of was her luck. Trying to get away from Will had almost worked, until he knocked her off of Satan and literally lay on top of her.

It was obvious that getting away from him had failed, badly. _Next time… wait, will there be a next time? _Knowing her mother, there would be.

When she finally got in the castle she ignored all of the stares of the servants and even her mothers shrieking. Retreating to her room, fifteen minutes later, Princess Marie was being coddled by Kay, the castle healer, and after Kay had done a small healing spell, she was laid down.

Her mother invaded not five minutes later, yelling at her for being so stupid to be thrown from her horse and that it was obvious that Satan needed to be shot for his disobedience. Of course, Marie protested and after calming her mother down, attempted to sleep.

So close to sleep, she wondered if her mother would shoot her if she became disobedient.

_Keirnan~ ~ ~somewhere VERY close to Marie_

Kiernan's footsteps were silent as he walked through the maze of a garden. It was ridiculous how many flowers grew here. Roses, irises, lilies, all surrounded him with their damn scent.

_I will probably be a flower myself after all of this. _When he got close to the exit he watched for guards but there were none. Of course there weren't. After all the flowers weren't all going to revolt against them.

He shook his head at his thoughts. He had to find some clothes to wear at the ball tomorrow. He had a plan. Charm Marie, the girl with black hair and disturbing amber eyes. Get her to go to the garden alone with him. And then, he would kidnap her.

Frowning at that word, he tried to think of a better one. Maybe he could think of it as borrowing. It's not like he planned on keeping the innocent girl. But if he was borrowing then it would probably be best to tell the person you were borrowing that they were being borrowed.

_I'm going insane! _The faster he got back to camp and slept the better. Maybe he wouldn't hide in the garden tomorrow like he had today. It wasn't as if there was anything entertaining to watch.

Even though watching Marie get angry at that childish man was slightly pleasing. Of course she went back to being quiet with no backbone in a matter of seconds.

When she had fallen, Kiernan had winced and almost gotten out of his hiding place. It was, in a roundabout way his fault. If he hadn't been hiding in that bush, then Satan would have moved and only Will would have been hurt.

But that wasn't what had happened. Marie had slammed down with Will on top of her and her horse, which he vaguely remembered being called Satan, had forgotten about the funny smelling bush, to help get Will off.

_I hope she didn't permanently damage anything. She might not be able to go to the ball and then everything I've done will be for nothing._ Exiting through the gate, Keirnan ran towards the woods and disappeared within.

He went to sleep with Marie pain filled face on the mind. In the end, he didn't get much sleep at all.

**Thanks for reading... hope you enjoyed it. Please comment.**


	2. Harmful

**Short, I know. I just wanted the ball to be an entirely different chapter. Not sure if I'm going to keep this chapter the way it is or change it. I'm unsure. Just bear with me :)**

"Marie!" Standing before a mirror, unclothed, Marie glanced back at her mother. "It's not that bad… is it?" Her mother was looking at her distastefully. "Those bruises are really unbecoming on you. I suppose that we shall have to adjust the back of your dress so that they do not show."

Marie frowned. "But Lara has already sewn the dress. It took her all week to finish it and her hands…" "I do not care about the state of Lara. She will fix it or she will regret it. Besides, it is your own fault for falling off of the horse."

Her mother's voice was snappish and Marie was reminded that despite her sweet appearance, her mother was a shrew. _I wonder if Kay could turn her into one… _Shaking off that thought, Marie nodded. There was no point in arguing with her. "I know it was my own fault mother. I hope you will eventually forgive me."

Nodding, her mother went to her armoire and pulled out a corset. Marie shuddered at the thought of that against her bruises. "Maybe I could not wear that… just for tonight?" Walking towards her, her mother shook her head. "It would be disgraceful for you not to wear it. You are getting fat."

Sighing Marie looked at herself in the mirror. She did not think she was fat but what was she to know? Her mother was quite a bit skinnier than she was and she rarely ate. _Maybe I could stop eating for a few days… _

Setting the corset on Marie's bed, the queen looked at her daughter. _Fat, good for nothing child. _Smiling gently she walked to the door. "I will send Lara up to adjust the dress." And with that, she left.

Ignoring the corset, Marie put a blue dress on and decided to go to the garden immediately. At least the flowers were silent. Walking as quickly as she could, Marie managed to avoid people as she went out the side door.

The garden lay before her. Breathing in deeply, she ran down the steps and immersed herself within the maze. As a child, she had learned every nook and cranny of the garden and she knew each path. Avoiding the area in which she had fallen the day before, she worked to get to the middle of the maze where there was a fountain and bench.

Rounding the last corner, she thought she saw a man, but before she could say anything, he had disappeared. _It was probably just a servant. _Never mind that he did not seem familiar. She did not know every servant. She just knew most of them.

Sitting down on the bench, she closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had lay down sideways on the bench and fallen asleep.

~~~Kiernan~~~

_Why was she sleeping? And, how?_ Kiernan wrinkled his nose at the distinct smell of flowers. He was watching the girl sleep. She had almost seen him and it was his own fault for not staying within the bush.

It was just so exhausting to sit there and do nothing. And no one had ever come this early in the day so he thought it to be safe. Of course, she proved him wrong.

When she had first sat on the bench he thought that she must have been waiting on someone but then she had closed her eyes and a few moments later had situated herself in a laying position.

Now she was breathing deeply and making a distressful sound. Her face soon looked to be in pain and he wondered if she was having a nightmare. Did princesses have nightmares? Maybe one's where dresses ripped, hair went everywhere, and earrings were lost.

She could not be having a frightening nightmare. She lived in a palace for God's sake. What did she have to be scared of?

Everything was dark. Marie could not hear anything. Then voices merged together and said things she had heard her entire life.

"You're fat."

"Don't frown, you'll get wrinkles."

"You idiot!"

"Don't tread on my toes."

"You'll never be a good princess. I'm ashamed of you."

And then silence. She tried to speak, to deny everything they were saying she could not. Soon she realized that it did not matter. What she had to say was pointless. They would say what they wanted and they were right.

"You must make a good match!'

"Don't lie to me."

"You're hair is just too plain."

"Pity, I have such a useless being for a daughter."

She started recognizing each voice. Her father, mother, and occasionally both. She tried to speak again but she was choking on her words.

"If only I had had a different daughter…WAKE UP!"

A voice erupted into her dream. She had no idea who it was but it was very masculine. Knowing that she was having a nightmare, she wanted to wake up. She really did… but the voices kept coming.

"Do you not want to be like me?"

"You know nothing!"

"Don't ask about politics, it is none of your business."

"YOU STUPID GIRL, WAKE UP!" Marie screamed, and opened her eyes. It took her a moment to adjust her eyes to the light and then she saw a man sitting next to the bench.

The first thing she noticed about him was his dark hair and green eyes. He looked frustrated and she figured that he was the one who had been yelling at her.

She sat up and stared at him. He stood up and she suddenly felt very small. He towered over her and even though she could lay some blame on her sitting down, he was still tall. Trying to avoid the urge to stand she smiled. He frowned.

The smile fell from her face. She had no idea who this man was and she could not seem to find the words to ask. Therefore, she stared.

His clothing was dark, as if he wanted to blend in with the night. There were brown stains where he had knelt to wake her up and his shoes were made of a soft fabric, fashioned to be quiet. Who was he?

"I hope my clothing isn't so offensive to your highness." His voice made her jump and she turned her gaze back to his eyes. It was not right for him to have such beautiful green eyes.

Hoping her voice would work, she spoke. "Of course not. I would never judge someone's clothing when they do not have the advantages I have."

He lifted his eyebrows and she thought she saw humor in his eyes. "You believe I should wear pale blue, with frilly lace?"

_Huh? _"I don't understand."

"You said that you thought I should dress like you. I, personally, disagree but if I must, I will do so if nothing more than to please you." Catching the sarcasm in his voice, she smiled. At least he was an interesting stranger.

"Well I suppose I should call Lara to fashion you a dress." Looking surprised, she thought he would smile but then all emotion left his face.

"I hope you are joking your highness." Confused, she nodded. "Of course."

She waited for a response. He suddenly bowed deeply, and said, "I'm sorry, but I believe I have somewhere to be." He rose back up and started walking off.

Finally comprehending that she was letting him leave without giving her any information, she called out, "I don't know your name!" He stopped and she waited for him to turn. He did not. Then he was gone from her sight.

She sat there, trying to grasp what had happened, but she knew with a glance at the sky that it would soon be time for her to get ready for the ball.

Slowly making her way back through the garden, she wondered where he had came from and why he had disappeared without a by your leave. It was considered rude to not announce who you were and what you were doing in the company of royalty.

_I am starting to think like my mother. _She grimaced. Maybe he had come into the garden to rest and he was not supposed to be there. Maybe he was a thief. Maybe she had distracted him from sneaking into the castle and getting jewels. _Then why did he wake me up?_

This was not getting her anywhere. She might as well forget about it. It was kind of him to wake her up from such an awful nightmare but she could not spend all day thinking about it. She needed to figure out a way to get out of wearing that uncomfortable corset.

_Maybe Kay can help. _Smiling at the thought of her own personal magic-user, Marie walked a bit faster. The corset problem was obviously more important than the name of a stranger.

Unless of course, the stranger is more harmful than the corset.

**Thanks for reading. Please comment.**


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